Mick (DJ)

Mick Batyske, known by his stage name DJ MICK (also sometimes styled as MICK) and formerly Mick Boogie,^[3] is an American DJ and entrepreneur.^[2] He is an A-list DJ and spun private parties for celebrities including Kanye West,^[4] LeBron James, Jay-Z and Will Smith.^[5][6][7] In addition to his mix tape releases, he has performed in venues internationally, including New York City, Dubai, Tokyo, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.^[8] As an entrepreneur, he has invested in various start-up companies including Localeur, in which he is also an advisor and consultant.^[2][9]

MICK
Birth name	Mick Batyske
Also known as	MICK, DJ MICK, Mick Boogie
Born	Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, open format
Occupation(s)	DJ,[1] entrepreneur,[2]
Instrument	Turntable
Website	mick.co

Early life and education

Mick was born in Youngstown, Ohio. He attributes his musical taste to the different songs he listened to as a child.^[1] His mother bought him records when he was young and he also learned to play the piano and drums while attending school.^[2][7] He attended John Carroll University where he earned both a bachelor's degree and MBA.^[1] While attending John Carroll, he worked as a radio DJ for WJCU 88.7, and later for Power 107.5 and Z107.9.^[1] While attending grad school, he decided to turn his music hobby into a career.^[2] After graduating college, he became the official DJ of the Cleveland Cavaliers.^[10][11] In 2008, decided to move to New York City and ended up moving to Brooklyn, New York.^[1]

DJ and performance career

Mick was the DJ at a private event for Jodie Foster at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.^[12] The same year he deejayed at the "Two Kings" influencer dinner held by LeBron James and Jay Z, an annual event that he has made several appearances at since 2008.^[13][14]

Mick expanded his performances in 2012 with a performance at Vibe's Magazine 20th Anniversary party.^[15] He was also in attendance for Super Bowl XLVII where he performed alongside The Roots at the annual Madden Bowl party,^[16] an event that he also performed for 2013.^[17] His 2012 birthday party was an event that featured a set that he personally performed and a performance by DMC of Run DMC. He also performed at Brian Atwood's New York Fashion Week party at the Four Seasons^[18] and a party for Aerosmith's Steven Tyler at The Darby in New York City.^[19]

It was in 2012 that Mick began a one-year deejay residency at Hyde, inside the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[20] During one of his sets over Memorial Day weekend in 2012, Jennifer Lopez debuted her single Goin' In.^[21] He also started touring internationally, including traveling with VH1 in India to promote its revamped VH1 India channel.^[22] He also performed at Entertainment Weekly's annual EMMY Award party in Los Angeles^[23] and on MTV during the MTV Video Music Awards' Rap Fix show.^[24] His private performances in 2013 included a party hosted by Jay-Z and Beyonce during the NBA All Star Weekend in Houston, Texas^[25] and the Miami launch event of a new Audemars Piguet watch, hosted by the company's brand ambassador LeBron James.^[26]

Music and production career

Mick began releasing mixtapes after college. His collaborations have included works with Jay-Z, Eminem and Peter Bjorn and John.^[27][28] His 2006 mixtape The Pre-Up, hosted by Eminem and The Alchemist (an early release of some tracks from Eminem Presents: The Re-Up), was cited by Rolling Stone as one of the top five hip hop mix CDs of the year.^[29] In 2007, he worked with Little Brother on the mixtape And Justus for All.^[30]

Also in 2007, Mick collaborated with Busta Rhymes to pay tribute to deceased producer James "Dilla" Yancey on the mixtape Dillagence. Busta Rhymes referred to him as a "hip hop historian" for putting together the project.^[31] Mick has presided over several critically acclaimed mash-ups, including Adele 1988 (which combines Adele's debut album with artists ranging from Naledge to Big Pooh) and Viva La Hova, which mashed up Jay-Z and Coldplay. In 2011, inspired by the A Tribe Called Quest documentary Beats, Rhymes, & Life, Mick released Excursions: A Tribe Called Quest mixtape.

In 2010, Mick began the release of a yearly mixtape called Summertime in which he collaborates with his childhood idol DJ Jazzy Jeff.^[32][33] The series has featured new and unreleased material from Will Smith.^[34] The same year, Mick started his twice-annual collaboration with Stylecaster called Sounds From The Front Row for New York Fashion Week.^[35]

Mick was hired by HBO in 2011 to produce and mix the How To Make It In America soundtrack with Scott Vener.^[36] In 2012, Mick released a mix called Obamify, a compilation mix of Barack Obama's playlist on Spotify.^[37] Also in 2012, Mick collaborated with photographer Jonathan Mannion to pay tribute to his childhood inspiration, The Beastie Boys, with a mixtape entitled Grand Royal.^[38] Gwyneth Paltrow also listed his remix "Lost Part 2" as one of her favorite songs to travel to.^[39] Mick is the music supervisor and curated the soundtrack for NBA Live 14.^[40] He was also nominated for an award by the Guild of Music Supervisors in 2014.^[41]

Select discography

Year	Title	Notes
2014	Summertime Volume 5	Collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff[32]
2013	Sounds From The Front Row	Collaboration with Stylecaster[42]
2013	Summertime Volume 4	Collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff[32]
2013	SlamXMick Art Basel	Collaboration with SlamXHype[43]
2013	SXSWi Interactive 2013	Collaboration with Tristan Walker. Music chosen by leaders in the tech and entrepreneur community.[44]
2013	NBA Live 2014	Mixtape for EA Sports[45]
2012	Summertime Volume 3	Collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff
2011	Summertime Volume 2	Collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff
2009	Re-Living Thing	Collaboration with Peter Bjorn and John[46]
2009	UKNOWBIGSEAN
2009	Biggie: Unbelievable	Collaboration with Diddy.[46]
2009	2009:Grammy Remix Project	Mick Boogie and Terry Urban mixtape compilation of the 2009 Grammy nominees.[46]
2008	1988	Mixtape with Adele.[46]
2008	Viva La Hova	Mix tape with Jay-Z and Coldplay.[46]
2007	Dilla-Gence	Mixtape with Busta Rhymes.[46]
2007	And Justice For All	Little Brother mixtape. Also worked as A&R.[46]
2007	The Graduate	Kanye West mixtape.[46]
2006	The Pre-Up	Collaboration with Eminem and various artists. Includes pre-releases from Eminem Presents: The Re-Up.[46]
2006	Kick In The Door	Collaboration with Joey Fingaz and The Kickdrums featuring Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Mobb Deep, Rick Ross, and various other artists.[47]

Business career

Mick is an entrepreneur and has invested in various startup companies.^[48] In 2007 he co-founded Motivation Boutique, a hip-hop clothing store located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.^[49] It is located within the campus of the University of Michigan and launched an online store in 2009.^[49] He is also known for branding and marketing, having spoken at events such as South by Southwest, New York University, and Digital DUMBO.^[48] He has consulted on projects for HBO and scored national television commercials for Adidas.^[48] He also starred in a national TV commercial for Microsoft Bing that premiered during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.^[50] Additional appearances include City Girl Diaries and Rap Fix Live. As an investor, Mick has been involved with the startup of numerous companies including Localeur, Dart, and Stublisher.^[51]

Mick brought his entrepreneurship and mixing together in 2013 with the release of SXSWi Interactive 2013.^[44] The mixtape featured 24 songs and chosen by leaders in the tech and entrepreneurial community, including social media consultant Gary Vaynerchuk.^[44]